Henry David Thoreau understood more than many before us the complexity and vastness of the world that we live in.

It’s critical in creative thinking and using ideas to know that what surrounds you, what you perceive in front of you, isn’t even a fraction of the whole universe, let alone the world. This is important because your values, experiences, the things you surround yourself with daily, are what impact your understanding of everything else. Everything you encounter is connected in your brain – remember, creativity is “just connecting things” – and in turn your ideas or lack thereof are fueled by the world you perceive.

But there’s always more world to take in. Traveling, reading what you normally wouldn’t read, watching movies you would originally find no interest in, conversing with strangers, doing things you have never thought of, all of these things build your perception of the universe and allow your creativity to build.

The internet makes these things incredibly easy, but there is still so much around us that the internet isn’t connected to.

The screw holding your desk together, how did it get there and who made it? Your shoelaces, where did they come from? What about the fibers in your clothing, where were they crafted and who decided that those exact fibers should go into that exact piece of clothing?

Look beyond what you see before you, for certainly that is not all there is. The world around you isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. There’s more inspiration just outside of what you have chosen to surround yourself with today.